LMH volunteers are honored for past, present service

Published: Friday, February 8, 2013 at 09:08 PM.

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In 1982, Dixie Ray, who could not attend because of an accident, became the first director of Volunteer Services. She retired in 2000 and Ann Durusky took her place.

Today, about 200 volunteers, both men and women, work at the hospital or create needed items — sock monkeys, lap blankets, seat belt padding, and the like — at home for patients. The volunteers stock the vending machines, purchase wheelchairs, support various projects and provide a paid chaplain on staff.

“Annually, over 40,000 hours are donated to the patients and staff at Lenoir Memorial,” Bizzell said. “… Think what a financial hardship it would be if the hospital had to pay employees to do all of these auxiliary jobs.”

Joe Plasky, president of the LMH Volunteers, said it’s the biggest volunteer organization in Lenoir County.

Lucile Belcher, 84, volunteered in the emergency room after retiring as a nursing assistant. She stopped volunteering about three weeks ago because her children were concerned about her driving back and forth.

“It helped me,” she said about volunteering, “because I love helping people.”

Geraldine Harold started volunteering in the early 1990s, and got her husband, Clyde Herald, into it a couple of years later.

Hartsell, 87, was one of them — often called candy stripers — before the newer Lenoir Memorial Hospital was built in 1973.

Parker brought a group of doctor’s wives together to volunteer, thus founding the Medical Auxiliary back in 1953.

Both were part of nearly 100 volunteers gathered together Friday for the 60th anniversary of what is now the LMH Volunteers. About 16 of the ones present had accrued more than 5,000 volunteer hours.

“We recognize,” LMH president and CEO Gary Black told the volunteers, “… you make a difference in the lives of people every day.”

Black said they do more than filling tasks — they provide morale for the hospital employees.

In the early years, Parker knew the doctors’ wives were volunteering at Duke Hospital and wanted to do something similar after she and her physician husband came to Kinston.

“I sent out letters to all the churches and different organizations,” she said. “Maybe about 100 nice ladies showed up. Most of them signed on.”

The organization grew and has been growing since then.

Parker recalled making sandwiches at home and selling them to raise money for the Auxiliary.

“There’s so many stories when you go in to see the patients,” she said. “You may be the only visitor they have.”

Their original role was to help the patients feel good, but it wasn’t a one-way street.

“You go in to cheer them,” said Parker, who still volunteers for Lights of Love, “and we come out cheered. They cheer us.”

Their role changed over the years, starting out freshening flowers and making the patients more comfortable. Later, they began doing administrative work, running a gift shop and taking patients in and out of the hospital, said Pat Bizzell, president-elect of LMH Volunteers and chairwoman of the social.

In 1982, Dixie Ray, who could not attend because of an accident, became the first director of Volunteer Services. She retired in 2000 and Ann Durusky took her place.

Today, about 200 volunteers, both men and women, work at the hospital or create needed items — sock monkeys, lap blankets, seat belt padding, and the like — at home for patients. The volunteers stock the vending machines, purchase wheelchairs, support various projects and provide a paid chaplain on staff.

“Annually, over 40,000 hours are donated to the patients and staff at Lenoir Memorial,” Bizzell said. “… Think what a financial hardship it would be if the hospital had to pay employees to do all of these auxiliary jobs.”

Joe Plasky, president of the LMH Volunteers, said it’s the biggest volunteer organization in Lenoir County.

Lucile Belcher, 84, volunteered in the emergency room after retiring as a nursing assistant. She stopped volunteering about three weeks ago because her children were concerned about her driving back and forth.

“It helped me,” she said about volunteering, “because I love helping people.”

Geraldine Harold started volunteering in the early 1990s, and got her husband, Clyde Herald, into it a couple of years later.

“I volunteered over there,” she said about LMH, “and when somebody quit or wasn’t there that day, I got him to come in and that’s how he started volunteering.”

She said, “I just enjoyed it. I don’t know, it’s just something that I enjoyed and kept on doing.”

The couple handled the Cheer Cart — with complimentary drinks — for a couple of years and then worked in the Cheer Corner, or gift shop. Often, one would walk a lost patient or guest to their destination, while the other manned the gift shop, Clyde Harold said.

Geraldine Harold would bring to the hospital Beanie Babies she purchased herself and occasionally hand one out to a child. Now, the couple’s medical problems prevent them from volunteering.

“Yes, I do miss it,” she said. “I wish I could go back to work. … If I was able to work, I would do it right now.”

Her husband, who retired after 20 years in the Air Force and another 20 years in insurance, expressed the same sentiment.

“I got satisfaction by meeting people,” he said.

Plasky said there will be more events held each month this year for the volunteers.

Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.